Import guide
Importing a car from the USA to Nigeria, step by step
Seven stages stand between a car on a US lot and a car in your driveway. Most of the risk sits in the first two — which is exactly where most buyers spend the least time.
Step 1
Choose where the car comes from
Almost every used car shipped from America to Nigeria is bought either from a dealership or at an auction. Auction cars are cheaper for a reason: a large share are insurance write-offs sold with salvage or rebuilt titles. Dealership cars are retail trade-ins, inspected and resold under the dealership name.
This one choice decides more about what you end up owning than any other step. Copart vs dealership cars goes through the difference in detail.
Step 2
Check the title and history before any money moves
Every car made for the US market carries a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Use it to pull an independent history report, and check the title brand. A US title can be branded salvage, rebuilt, flood and more, and the rules differ from state to state — which is precisely how title washing works.
Insist on the VIN before you pay anything. We send it the moment we find a match, followed by these documents while the car is still in America:
- Vehicle Identification Number
- Independent history report
- Dealership purchase invoice
- Title document
- Dated pre-shipment photographs
- Bill of lading and clearing papers
Step 3
Pay in a way that protects you
Paying the full price upfront for a car you have never seen is how most import losses happen.
With us you pay 40% to start. The remaining 60% is due only after the car has landed, cleared customs and you have inspected it in person. See how it works.
Step 4
Ship the car to Nigeria: RoRo or container
Which we use depends on the vehicle, the season and how quickly you need it. We tell you which before you commit.
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Method RoRo (Roll-on / roll-off) | How it works The car is driven aboard a dedicated vehicle carrier. Usually faster and cheaper for a single standard vehicle. | Best for Standard saloons and SUVs |
| Method Container (Shared or sole container) | How it works The car is secured inside a container. Better protection from weather and handling, and parts can travel with the vehicle. | Best for Higher-value units |
Cars arrive at Lagos — Tin Can and Apapa, or Onne — Rivers State.
Step 5
Customs duty and clearing
On arrival the car is assessed by the Nigeria Customs Service. Import duty and the associated levies depend on the vehicle, its value and its year, and the rates change from time to time — so treat any fixed figure you read online with caution.
Clearing covers paying that duty, the documentation, and the port and terminal charges needed to release the car. We quote your full landed cost in writing before you commit, so nothing new appears at the port.
Step 6
Delivery to your city
Once released, the car is brought to you. We deliver to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Ibadan, Enugu, Kaduna, Benin City, Jos, Uyo, Warri and Abeokuta, and anywhere else in Nigeria on request.
Step 7
Inspect, then pay the balance
You inspect the car in person. Only then is the 60% balance due, and the car released to you. If something is not as described, you find out before you have paid in full — not after.
Timing
How long does it take?
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| When Days 1 – 3 | What happens Specification and quote |
| When Days 3 – 10 | What happens Sourcing and verification |
| When Days 10 – 14 | What happens Inspection and loading |
| When Weeks 3 – 8 | What happens Ocean freight |
| When Days 3 – 10 after berth | What happens Duty and clearing |
| When On release | What happens Inspection, balance, delivery |
Ocean freight is by far the longest stage. Everything else is days, not weeks, provided the paperwork is right the first time.
Cost
What goes into a landed cost
The price of the car in America is only the start. A realistic landed cost for Nigeria includes:
- The vehicle, plus any US dealer fees and taxes
- Transport from the dealership to the port
- Ocean freight, RoRo or container
- Marine insurance for the voyage
- Nigerian import duty and levies
- Clearing, port and terminal charges
- Delivery to your city
We quote the full landed cost in writing before you pay anything. Request a quote.
Questions
What buyers ask us
Yes, and plenty of people do. The risk is concentrated in the parts you cannot do from Nigeria: seeing the car, confirming who is really selling it, and checking the title before you pay. That is the work we do.
Ask any importer for three things before you pay: the VIN of the exact car, so you can run your own history check; the name of the dealership or auction it is being bought from; and a payment structure that does not require the full price before you have seen the car. An office you can visit helps too. An importer who will not give you all of that is asking for trust instead of showing you evidence.
At the point of sale, usually. Once repair, hidden damage and resale value are counted, often not. An auction car is priced for a buyer who can see and fix the damage themselves.
The Nigeria Customs Service assesses it based on the vehicle, its value and its year, and the rates change over time. We confirm the figure in writing as part of your landed cost when we quote.
Most cars arrive at Lagos — Tin Can and Apapa, or at Onne — Rivers State. We advise which suits your delivery city when we quote.
While the car is still in the United States: vehicle identification number, independent history report, dealership purchase invoice, title document, dated pre-shipment photographs, bill of lading and clearing papers.
Get a written landed cost
Tell us the car. We come back the same day with dealership options and an all-in cost for Nigeria.